Daddy Clay: Where do you go to find a bunch of really cool dads? Well the National PTA
Conference naturally. Daddy Brad: Today's episode is brought to
you by BabyBjorn. Oexo-Tek certified, safe for your baby, BabyBjorn.
Daddy Clay: So when Daddy Brad and I recently traveled to the National PTA Conference in
Memphis, we were pleasantly surprised to see how many dad-related services and initiatives
were taking place there at the conference. Daddy Brad: So today in The Lab, we're talking
with the men of the PTA. J. Michael Hall: Strongfathers is an organization
that does father involvement programs in schools and/or train schools to do things that we
found to be successful. So what we do is we'll go in and we'll do a "Bring Your Dad to School
Day" where the dads come to class with their kids. We help the school be prepared for the
crowd that we know to bring in. A lot of schools say we don't think they're gonna come. We
know that in working with over 75,000 dads, when the kids send the invitation and the
school invites the dads in, they're coming. They come 200-300 dads a day. Nobody in the
culture is saying dads have an important role. When we talk about the fact that when dads
read to kids, their kids verbal skills go up. That's what we're talking about. We're
not talking about fixing guys. They come with strengths. But you use those strengths. Just
what a heart of a man wants to do for his kid. So we don't have to change men. Just
have to let them know maybe what their dad didn't do for them, and or that schools have
changed and so there is a new way to do things for kids.
Eric Snow: Watch D.O.G.S. stands for Dads of Great Students. And the Watch D.O.G.S.
program shows schools, primarily elementary, but also middle school and high school, how
to invite dads to come in, into the school, and engage them in the educational process.
And we show the schools how to ask these dads to take off work, to come in and volunteer
and work at least one full day. And last school year, the school year just ending, 2009-2010,
we had about 107,000 men nationwide and that's in 38 states, 1656 schools that took at least
one day off and volunteered in their child's school.
Tony Dungy: One of the biggest blessings in my life was the dad that I had. I can't imagine
not having the direction and the guidance that I got. It's so important, the more that
I talk to young men, the more you read the statistics, just how influential not just
the moms, but the dads are. Hall: You know when mom says, "School's important.
Be nice to people. Study hard." Moms need to do that. When dad says, "Study hard. Be
nice", it has a different weight. So the weight that dad has, when he talks to his kids, works
with his kids. Because he comes from a different direction, he plays a huge role in the education
of his kids. Snow: All kids like to have that reinforcement
of positive male role models. And our program has more than doubled in the last two years.
Daddy Brad: If someone wants to get their school sign up with the Watch D.O.G.S. program,
how do they do that? Snow: It's real easy. They can go to www.fathers.com/watchdogs.
In the middle of the page, they can sign up for a training session and that is free. We're
asking the dads to commit at least one day during the school year, take off work, come
in, volunteer a full day, and then just. They need to wear their tennis shoes. And they
need to wear comfortable shoes because they're gonna work hard.
Dungy: You've got this responsibility to work. You have a job, hopefully that you enjoy.
But you know you've got to provide for your family. That job takes you away from your
family at times. Where is the balance? Where is the tradeoff? I know in our job, in professional
football, we grew it into a 12-month, 14 to 16 hour a day job. We just kind of let it
take over. And that's been the same way with a lot of jobs, in a lot of fields. And you
just have to say, at some point, I've got to make my family a priority. There's got
to be things I can do. But you have to think about those kind of things and you have to
try to let your kids know that they are a priority.
Daddy Clay: Very cool to see dads as a central part of the conversation there at the PTA
conference. Daddy Brad: Yeah, and speaking of dads, be
on the lookout for an upcoming episode on the Million Hours of Power.
Daddy Clay: We want to thank our sponsors for this episode, BabyBjorn. Oexo-Tek certified,
safe for your baby, BabyBjorn. Daddy Brad: So what do you think about these
programs that we've profiled here today. Would they work in your community? Are they already
in place? Comment on this video and let us know or go to DadLabs.com and join the conversation.
Daddy Clay: Thanks very much for joining us here in The Lab. We'll see you next time.
And while you're at it, go volunteer for the PTA.
Daddy Brad: Get a free calendar.